Many types of clothing articles have signs, displays, panels, advertisement buttons, stickers which are illuminated by electrical or electronic means and are well known in the prior art. In general, the prior art has disclosed several structures and designs of illuminated display panels for clothing that use laser emitting diodes (LEDs), miniature incandescent light bulbs, and electroluminescent (EL) lamps for producing the needed illumination.
Display signs using LEDs or miniature incandescent bulbs are usually bulky, heavy for that particular type of clothing article and the mounting structure of the display sign often protrudes from the surface of the clothing article in which a potential for electrical and other hazards can develop (i.e. broken bulbs or LEDs cutting the wearer, garments that catch on fire, etc.). Additionally, the display panels typically contain electrical wires, circuit boards, and a power source being batteries. The batteries are also bulky and heavy and tend to make that particular clothing article unappealing and unaesthetic when worn by the user.
Current display signs using ELs within their clothing articles usually have circuit board components, a power source using AAA batteries making the clothing article a heavier and bulkier, and a display area that has a submarine style window giving an unaesthetic look to that particular type of clothing article to be worn by the wearer.
There remains a need for a garment with an electroluminescent (EL) circuit that operates using miniature batteries, a miniature circuit board having fewer electronic components than previously made EL circuits, and a simpler display panel area which better utilizes the electroluminescent element for the display panel area being illuminated.